A TEST OF THE GRAPEVINE: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES AMONG AFRICAN AMERICANS

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Abstract
This research examines the prevalence of belief in conspiracy theories among African Americans in one Deep South state and identifies the factors related to these beliefs . Overall , there is a surprisingly strong belief in most conspiracy theories involving government . Over 85 % of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that African Americans are harassed by police because of their race and that the criminal justice system is not fair to Blacks . The theories with the least support involved transracial adoption , family planning , and needle - exchange programs as genocide . Through factor analysis , the 11 conspiracy theory questions were combined into conceptual scales . The theories grouped into two distinct factors - malicious intent and benign neglect , with benign theories the more prevalent of the two . Suprisingly , age , gender , and education were not significant in explaining beliefs in malicious intent or benign neglect conspiracy theories . Among the interesting differences between the two groups of theories , church attendance was not significantly related to support for malicious intent theories , whereas it was negatively related to support for benign theories . The most important variable for explaining belief in conspiracies was the perceived involvement by African Americans in government . Those who believed that Blacks could influence the political process were less likely to believe in conspiracy theories . This finding suggests that such beliefs in conspiracy theories will not be reduced until African Americans perceive that they have more of a role to play in their government .

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